However, not wearing masks in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania can result in a €25 fine, in Hesse a €50 fine, and in Bavaria, not wearing a face mask while on public transportation or in a shop can result in a €150 fine for first-time offenders. A survey by public broadcaster ZDF found that of those polled throughout Germany, 72 per cent were against Ramelow's plans. Restaurants and cafes would only be able to sell takeaway food. // googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); In Bavaria, where 244 medical practices had been closed due to quarantine (141), lack of protection gear (82) and a lack of childcare (21), the Bavarian State Ministry for Health and Care instructed its health departments not to answer the request for information. [62] On 3 February, another employee was confirmed positive. He showed no symptoms. He pointed to Germany as a potential candidate. [53], In late July, a cluster of new infections emerged around a religious group in Steinsfurt. Among others it would allow the health ministry to prohibit border crossings, track the contacts of infected persons and enlist doctors, medicine students and other health care workers in the efforts against an infectious disease. All of the infected had recovered by 24 June. [310] The announcement met with a heated debate and severe criticism from health experts including epidemiologist Karl Lauterbach,[310] as well as the media. // underlining a race against the clock to vaccinate citizens. [82], On 31 May 2020, a new cluster with 36 confirmed infections was reported in Göttingen. The Ministry of Health of North Rhine-Westphalia advised against panic buying, especially of masks, medications and disinfectants, to leave them for those really in need, assuring there would be no shortage of supply even in the event of a quarantine. The researchers reconstructed the origins of the outbreak, and found that a single superspreader had transmitted the virus within a radius of over eight metres to co-workers. It faced the counter-argument of general shortages of protection gear that could not even guarantee supply for the health care and maintenance system. The draft was to be put into a law which still required parliamentary approval. The assembly leader was charged by police for this offence. [126], On 1 February, around 90 German citizens left Wuhan on a flight arranged by the German government. ", "Fact check: How deadly is the coronavirus in Germany? [236][237] The Federal government scheduled a discussion for 22 March to decide on a nationwide curfew and still faced opposition from the German Association of Towns and Municipalities and reservations, among others from the Governing Mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller, or Minister President of Thuringia, Bodo Ramelow. This was attributed by observers to a combination of several factors: the relaxation of the lockdown that had been imposed in March; a high level of satisfaction in the general population about the government's handling of the crisis; the impact of counter-protests; and the recognition by the general population that the protests had shown to be used by the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) and violent or extreme right-wing individuals sprouting conspiracy theories,[435] including vegan chef Attila Hildmann. German Interior Minister, Horst Seehofer, expressed his optimism that a vaccine would be available by the end of the year. On 25 and 26 February, multiple cases related to the Italian outbreak were detected in Baden-Württemberg. [194] She announced liquidity support for companies, especially via the German development bank KfW, to be realised before the week was over. The officials imposed a 14-day home isolation for people who had had direct contacts with individuals in the current cases as well as people who showed flu symptoms. A man from the district of Böblingen, who had had contact with the travel companion of the patient from Göppingen, also tested positive. [4] When imposing the new lockdown in response to the second wave in early November, the government stated that its goal was to reduce the 7-day incidence to about 50, so that contact tracing would again be possible. [266] The fulfilment of the order would extend over a whole year as the company had received many orders from other countries and the German government had not asked them to be supplied first. In an SEK operation with protection suits and tanks, 200 police forces calmed the situation and relocated 17 offenders. [305], On 15 May, it was reported that Labour Minister Hubertus Heil was to present a government proposal on 18 May to Germany's "corona cabinet", aimed at improving hygiene standards in meat processing plants through measures including prohibition of subcontractors. to "preserve" the success that had been achieved to date in the fighting the pandemic.[139]. [358], The first case in Germany of the Brazilian variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was confirmed by authorities on 22 January in a traveler who had arrived at Frankfurt airport from Brazil one day earlier. 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They suggested that transmission of the virus may have been facilitated by the low temperatures in the factory, its limited fresh air supply, and the strenuous nature of the work. [22]}} The September 2021 federal and numerous state elections were suggested as an additional hindrance in combating the second wave earlier and more decisively. [104], On 4 March, the first case in Bochum was confirmed when a 68-year-old man returning from holiday in Italy tested positive. (Bloomberg) -- Germany is likely to extend its Covid-19 lockdown for another two weeks when Chancellor Angela Merkel and state government leaders meet next week, people familiar with the discussions said. [116], On 13 March, all schools and kindergartens were closed by the government of NRW. [75], Hamburg's first case, a male paediatric member of staff at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, was confirmed on 27 February. It expected that a total of 13 million doses from the two suppliers would be available in the first quarter of 2021. [280][410] The district of Nordhausen, Thuringia, followed the example of Jena, with effect from 14 April,[411] the city of Erfurt on 22 April. By doing so, authorities are trying to keep infection chains short, leading to curtailed clusters. [128], At a videoconference of Chancellor Merkel and the 16 state governors on 6 May 2020, when relaxations of pandemic measures were agreed as a result of the easing of the first wave of the pandemic, state governments were authorised to reimpose restrictions immediately in case of a new wave of cases reaching 50 per 100,000 people within 7 days in a locality ("seven-day incidence"). [389], On 25 January 2021, the Health Ministry announced that Germany had bought 200,000 doses of experimental antibody cocktails for €400 million, to be administered at university hospitals only, and to be used only on high-risk patients at an early stage of the illness. In response to the development, Bavaria issued a temporary ban for hotels to accommodate guests coming from any district which exceeded the threshold of 50 infections per 100,000 residents in the past seven days, unless travellers could produce an up-to-date negative coronavirus test. [29] Vaccinations with AstraZeneca resumed on 19 March after the European Medicines Agency deemed the vaccine "safe and effective". Regular contacts of persons at risk, such as in nursing homes, are to be subject to more thorough coronavirus testing, to recognise outbreaks early and to break transmission chains. [266], On the morning of 28 March, the body of Hesse's Minister of Finance Thomas Schäfer was found next to the Cologne–Frankfurt high-speed rail line near Hochheim am Main. AfD leader Weidel disagreed and also proposed measuring fever at airports. Additionally, one case was confirmed in Bonn, three more in the Aachen district (one in Aachen and two in Würselen), and one in Lüdenscheid. "[426], German officials reported that U.S. buyers were paying far above the market price and were outbidding European buyers for masks. [106] Bochum's second case was confirmed, after the wife of the city's first confirmed case also tested positive. [428], Since April 2020, several protests have been held in Germany in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even if individual cases emerged, authorities would be able to treat them. Angela Merkel's administration announced measures to cushion the economic blow. The government also announced a toughening of physical distancing requirements, with people only being able to meet with one other person outside their own household. [219] The government stressed it was no "shutdown". [276], On 1 April, Health minister Jens Spahn forbade flights from Iran, effective immediately, on the basis of the new Infection Protection Act. [304], On 14 May, the German government tabled a law aimed in particular at improving the protection of risk groups and enabling a better understanding of the progress of the pandemic. [277][278] Chancellor Merkel extended the social distancing measures to 19 April and asked people not to travel during the Easter holidays. The purpose of the law was to put measures that had been previously enacted by decree on a more firm legal basis that would prevent legal challenges. [300] On 9 May, the RKI gave the number of infections in the Coesfeld district in the past week as 76 cases per 100,000, while all other districts in North Rhine-Westphalia were reported to have remained considerably below the government-set threshold of 50 cases per 100,000. It was believed that there had been over 900 positive cases among these. [434], Weekly rallies which became known as Hygienedemos (hygiene demonstrations) established themselves in several cities including Berlin, Leipzig, Munich, Frankfurt and Stuttgart. During the lockdown period, a maximum of ten people from at most two households would be allowed to meet; religious congregations and street protests would be subject to exemptions. [204] Germany entered talks for softening its export stop of protective gear for other European Union states. // }); Schools and kindergartens would remain open. [36], On 18 November 2020, a reform of the IfSG which had been proposed by the ruling Grand Coalition of CDU/CSU and Social Democratic Party of Germany was passed in the Bundestag with 415 votes in favour, 236 against, and eight abstentions. [111] There were six new infections in Erkrath, Mettmann district. The Health Minister, Spahn, warned that the consequences of fear could be far worse than the virus itself. [240] Lufthansa donated 920,000 breathing masks to the health authorities. The R value again became the subject of increased public attention in the country in December 2020, with a surge in cases of a mutant coronavirus strain from the United Kingdom. [33][35], In the implementation of federal and state guidelines to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, the Infection Protection Act (Infektionsschutzgesetz, IfSG) has played a central role. Germany is extending its lockdown until 18 April, Chancellor Angela Merkel and the leaders of the country’s various regions have decided. [396], On 22 May, in an article published in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, the German Council of Economic Experts stated its views on the design of the planned coronavirus recovery package. Some criticisms of lockdowns outlined that restrictions did not explicitly target the most vulnerable and elderly populations and risked other deaths from unemployment and poverty. Most German politicians demanded that public usage should be voluntary. [265], Drägerwerk announced that the first respiratory devices of a total order of 10,000 by the health ministry were finished, but it was unclear where to deliver them. [399], According to the Federal Statistical Office, exports dropped in April by 31 per cent compared to the previous year, which was unprecedented since 1950, when trade balance statistics began to be collected. [365] The European Commission wrote an official complaint letter to Germany – along with Hungary, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland –, calling for less restrictive measures. They were monitored and quarantined at the München Hospital in Schwabing. As with the Novemberhilfe and the measures earlier agreed in July 2021, companies were usually required to lodge applications for these funds through tax advisors or auditors. [217], Italian scientists, including virologist Roberto Burioni, warned Germany against underestimating the danger and the director of Eurac Research stated that Germany needed a lockdown or the numbers would go out of control. He said that experts saw larger outbreaks as well as numerous smaller ones throughout the country as contributing to the surge of cases. All cases in Düsseldorf were reported to be asymptomatic, or with mild symptoms. While the initial cause for the protests were governmental measures to combat the pandemic, in particular the lockdown that had been imposed in March and the mask requirement that came into force in late April, they were also fuelled by negative sentiments regarding a future coronavirus vaccine that the German government – as others in the world – portrayed as the conclusive way out of the pandemic. Germany looks set to tighten lockdown measures today and extend them into April as Europe's Covid third wave bites amid the bloc's shambolic … In his analysis, BA director Detlef Scheele stated that even though the coronavirus crisis had hit the labour market with unprecedented severity, it was coping reasonably well in his opinion. 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